CLEVELAND — Bill Fitch, who guided the Boston Celtics to one of their championships during a Hall of Fame coaching career spanning three decades, has died. He was 89.

A two-time NBA coach of the year, Fitch died Wednesday in Lake Conroe, Texas. Fitch’s daughter, Marcy Ann Coville, told Indiana Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle that her father was surrounded by family. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Fitch coached for 25 seasons in the NBA, starting with the expansion Cleveland Cavaliers in 1970. He was Larry Bird’s first pro coach with Boston in 1979, won a title with the Celtics in 1981 and spent time with Houston, New Jersey and the Los Angeles Clippers.

While he had his greatest success in Boston, Fitch may be best remembered for his early seasons with the Cavs.

He helped develop a young team that won just 15 games in its first season before making the playoffs in 1976 and shocking the Washington Bullets in what became known as the “Miracle of Richfield.”

Fitch was chosen coach of the year that season.

“Coach Fitch earned the love and respect of his Cavaliers players as he embedded a high standard of accountability and a belief system that he felt was a reflection of the team’s motto as a ‘group of daring, fearless men, whose life’s pact was never surrender, no matter what the odds,’ something that continues to be greatly valued by those he coached and worked with on and off the court,” the Cavs said in a statement.

“Coach Fitch was a great friend and trusted mentor and teacher to so many across the entire basketball community, while his impact on the game, and the lives of those he touched, spanned multiple generations. He became a life-long friend to many members of the Cavaliers organization.”

Fitch was hired by Red Auerbach and the Celtics in 1979, the same year Bird arrived in Boston, which was coming off the two worst seasons in the famed franchise’s history. The Celtics went 61-21 in Fitch’s first season and won the championship the following season by beating the Rockets in six games.

“Fitch’s deep knowledge of the game, toughness, and dry wit made him a perfect fit for Boston and the Celtics,” the team said in a statement. “Fitch had already built a reputation as a turnaround artist, and his ability to get the best out of his players paid immediate dividends as Fitch orchestrated what was at the time the best turnaround in NBA history, vaulting to a 61-21 record.”

Fitch went 242-86 in his four seasons in Boston.

He went from there to Houston for five seasons (1983-88), taking the Rockets to the finals against the Celtics in 1986 with a team powered by Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson.

Fitch joined the Nets in 1989 and took a young team that won just 17 games in his first season to 40 victories and a playoff berth in his third season.

He wrapped up his coaching odyssey with the woebegone Clippers, leading them to the playoffs in his third season before retiring in 1998.

Fitch, who had a 944-1106 record, was elected to the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Born in Davenport, Iowa, Fitch coached at his alma mater, Coe College, before stops at Minnesota, Bowling Green and North Dakota, where he saw promise in a young forward named Phil Jackson, who went on to win 10 NBA titles as a coach.

ALL-STAR GAME: Devin Booker and Chris Paul were chosen as reserves for the All-Star Game, giving the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns two selections.

The Utah Jazz also got a pair with Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, but the Cleveland Cavaliers had to settle for one player – guard Darius Garland – in the game they will host Feb. 20.

The other reserves from the Western Conference are Luka Doncic of Dallas, Karl-Anthony Towns of Minnesota and Draymond Green of Golden State.

The remainder of the players from the East are Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Brooklyn’s James Harden, Chicago’s Zach LaVine, Toronto’s Fred VanVleet, Miami’s Jimmy Butler and Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton.

Reserves were voted on by the head coaches from each conference, who could not vote for players from their own teams.

The starter pool in the Eastern Conference announced last week includes Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid in the frontcourt, along with Atlanta’s Trae Young and Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan.

In the West, it’s LeBron James, Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins, NBA MVP Nikola Jokic of Denver and Memphis guard Ja Morant.

James and Durant, as the leading vote-getters in each conference, will be captains who draft rosters for the game, though their own status for playing in it is unknown. Durant remains out because of a sprained left knee ligament, while James is sidelined with a less severe knee injury.

The draft is Feb. 10. James will choose first from the pool of starters as the player who received the most total votes, while Durant has the first choice among reserves.

Green is also injured. Commissioner Adam Silver makes the selections to replace players who are unable to play.

THURSDAY’S GAMES

HEAT 112, SPURS 95: Tyler Herro scored 24 points, Bam Adebayo added 18 points and 11 rebounds and visiting Miami dominated short-handed San Antonio to snap a three-game losing streak.

The Heat led by as many as 26 points, allowing Jimmy Butler to sit out the fourth quarter.

Derrick White, who also sat out the fourth quarter, had 22 points for San Antonio.

TIMBERWOLVES 128, PISTONS 117: Anthony Edwards scored 25 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and 14 rebounds as Minnesota won at Detroit.

Taurean Prince added 23 points to help Minnesota win its third straight and fifth in six games.

Saddiq Bey had 21 points and 13 rebounds for Detroit, which lost for the sixth time in seven games.

HAWKS 124, SUNS 115: Trae Young scored 43 points and led Atlanta’s flurry of 3-pointers as the surging Hawks beat visiting Phoenix, ending the Suns’ 11-game winning streak.

The Hawks made 20 of 41 3-pointers, including six by Young. Young’s final 3 made it 122-113 with 37 seconds remaining. Kevin Huerter made five 3s and had 19 points.

The Hawks have won eight of their last nine games, with their only loss to Toronto coming when Young was held out with a right shoulder contusion. Young will start as Atlanta’s only representative in the Feb. 20 All-Star Game.

NBA-leading Phoenix dropped to 41-10, losing for the first time since Jan. 8 at home against Miami. Devin Booker led the Suns with 32 points. Mikal Bridges had 24, and Chris Paul 18.

RAPTORS 127, BULLS 120: Pascal Siakam had 25 points and 13 rebounds, Chris Boucher added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Toronto beat visiting Chicago in overtime.

Nikola Vucevic matched his season high with 30 points and had 18 rebounds for the Bullss. DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points.